Is there really a 'right' way to lead?

Reflecting on this course there are two things I will take away from organization theory and leadership. The first that in order to be a successful leader, you have to be flexible. I can study all the leadership and organizational theories in the world: bureaucracy, human relations, institutional theory, be confident, show integrity, etc. but just like in life, obstacles happen and in the world of education, you could show up to work one day and a fight could break out, a lock down could happen or a natural disaster could be happening within your school's community. As a leader, you have to be willing to role with the punches and know that not every day will be a good day and not every day will go as planned, but it's up to a leader to hold down the fort and lead the way. 

The second thing I will take away is that there is no real right way to lead. In order to be a good leader, you have to be a mix of every good quality that comes from organizational theory as well as leadership theory. Sometimes as a leader, you may need to be opened minded and listen to criticism and sometimes, you may need to come down with a hammer such as laying down a directive over a policy decision. Not every single student, parent, teacher or district employ is going to be happy with the decisions a leader makes and as a leader, that's just something you have to live with.